Fellowship… With Horseshoes

It was nice knowing that when I arrived at the lodge last night that there were no emergencies, no meetings that needed to take place, and nothing that needed to be completed that night. It was an opportunity to go to the lodge and enjoy the fellowship while casually discussing topics that happen to come up in conversation. What I didn’t expect was that those conversations would be happening over a game of horseshoes in the back yard.

I honestly can’t remember the last time that I tossed a horseshoe across the grass in the hopes of hearing it ring on the post. It has probably been at least fifteen years since I flipped the steel from my fingers so there was quite a bit of relearning taking place throughout the evening. Of course, the last time that I recall playing was simply as a fill in while one of my uncles took a break so there wasn’t much of a technique to be found in my past either.

The most important part of the whole evening was that fact that we could enjoy the fellowship with our brothers without an agenda to be mentioned and we were able to get to know one of our newly raised brothers a little more and in a relaxed setting. While we have had conversations in the past and I have spoken with him at great length, there is something to be said about seeing a person’s personality during a casual competition. Safe to say, more so than I was before, I am glad to have this new mason as my brother.

It is this type of environment that I would like to see constantly fostered and built upon as we move forward. This is a return to the way brothers used to interact with one another all over the world not just at lodges here and there. This is what we need if we are going to see our lodge and our fraternity as a whole thrive in the coming years and decades. Brothers of all ages and experiences simply going to lodge to enjoy the fellowship found in our fraternity.

Nights like this are part of why I decided to become a mason. It is not just about learning something new and striving to be better men, it is a brotherly bond that you share with your fellow mason, with whom you truly enjoy spending time with at the lodge and beyond the confines of the building. This is certainly something that I have to improve upon and embrace as I rarely see the brethren outside of a masonic setting. I guess I have another goal for the summer.

The Other Conversations

Thankfully we didn't find this many keys.

Having finished up the notice late last week and getting the email sent the day before, it was time to head to the lodge to make sure that everything was ready to go before the stated meeting on Thursday night. Of course, I had to make a few stops on the way to Ardmore (more about that in a later post) so I was a little late in my arrival. Heading into the evening, I knew of several brothers who would not be able to make it so I was prepared for a very light turnout when I walked through the door.

While it wasn’t a large group, I was pleasantly surprised to find a small group of us discussing some of the other things that needed to be addressed both before the meeting and over the summer. Sometimes it is in these free flowing conversations when you can really find the passions that drive the masons who make up the membership. These casual nights are a great time to discuss and sometimes debate a variety of topics or changes that some of us would like to see happen.

That is the really interesting thing about some of these fellowship nights. While everyone has an equal voice during the meetings, many times there are a slew of things that have to get done that night, presentations to be made, and motions to be proposed. Sometimes those things that you would like to discuss can get lost in the lateness of the evening. At the same time, it is good to discuss ideas before a meeting so that they can be more fully formed before presenting them.

Of course, these nights are also perfect for the various scavenger hunts that highlight the year. Last night we were in search of some elusive keys to the display cabinets. We thought that we had completed the thorough search a couple of months ago but, somehow, another possible location was brought to our attention last night. So we all headed back down to my office, walked over to the corner, and pried open a large steel box which has remained sealed for the past several years.

Inside we found the keys that we were looking for and others that we were not looking for. So now a new hunt begins as we try to figure out which keys go to which locks. All the while there will be casual conversations among brothers about anything and everything. Sometimes it will have something to do with lodge and other times it will be a means of continual bonding between members or our fraternal family. All of this because we take the time to show up on Tuesday nights, enjoy the relaxed fellowship, and work together to accomplish even the smallest of tasks like trying to find a key.

Measured Communication

Most work days I am on the phone, writing emails, and scanning the recent trade and general news sources constantly from the time I arrive to the time I depart the office. Occasionally, I will switch things up and work on something different but that seems to be a rare occurrence recently. However, there are moments when I am able to take a break, relax, and just have a casual moment.

In fact, those times just before a phone interview or when I am reaching out to a reporter/editor that I know particularly well are some of the best times of the day for me because we are able to talk, see how things are going, and today talk about any plans that they might have for the weekend. It is a glimpse into life rather than a constant focus on work. Heck, I am downright pleasant during those brief interludes.

Of course, there are certain days, like earlier this week, when I have to just keep to the business at hand. Not because of the long list of things to do that is hanging over my head, although that does have an impact, it is simply because there are certain days when I am not in a good mood. I might even be downright pissed on some days. Those days, while sometimes difficult, I have to work to remain positive. Obviously something had previously gone awry but I can’t let that come across to those with which I am corresponding.

The other part of those task oriented days and communications is the fact that I takes a considerable amount of effort to remain even keeled. Those are the days when I find myself exhausted when I shut down the computer and struggling to get just about anything done at night when I get home. It’s a simply fact that being negative and/or angry just takes too much effort. I know some people that are always negative regardless of the situation and I honestly don't know how they get out of bed every day.

While I am certain that weeks like this one will come and go and there will be times when my stress levels will gain force me to that angry and loud place, they are just moments in life and none of those inconveniences will last forever. After all, things could always be worse (the leak could have been above or bed) and there are much better things to focus our energy on and be positive about (our little, probably will become a big and hairy, baby). So I may have a few bad days here and there and different stresses may pop up now and again, I really can’t complain about much (but you have to give me some leeway on that).